A Hue of Red on Green
by PJO Fan Power
Summary: Percy Jackson has been sentenced to Tartarus for his part in the death of seven demigods, although the seven were traitors to Olympus. One of them was a child of Zeus, and he is furious. To get back at the son of Poseidon, Zeus sentences him to the Pit. On his way down, Hestia gives him her blessing in an attempt to save him. Twenty years later, Percy emerges, but is not the same..
1. Chapter 1

"Perseus Jackson, you stand here today before the Council to discuss your actions on the night of June Twenty-First. On that night, you committed the murders of no less than seven demigods, despite no prior aggravations. How do you plead?" If you had asked Percy Jackson how he would be spending his Friday night, he would not have told you being tried for murder by godly deities. Of course, nothing he did went according to plan, so that was where he ended up.

"Like I said, _Lord_ Zeus, they were servants of Gaea. They dissolved into the earth as soon as I killed them. And "no prior aggravations" my ass, they threatened me to Hades and back with-" He was interrupted by the King of the Gods, who was barely refraining from killing him on the spot.

"I asked HOW DO YOU PLEAD! I did not ask for your lies your stories, mortal. Do not act like you are better than us." Percy scoffed at the nature of the egotistical God of the Skies.

"I plead guilty-"

"See there, brothers and sisters! Guilty!"

"-to saving my camp from seven traitors, and, by the Gods, Zeus, I would do it again. Just because you had another child who was part of that group does not mean that they were not traitors. Hades, he was the leader of it!"

"Silence, demigod! As you have plead guilty, I will now issue your sentence!" This was met by uproar from the other gods and goddesses of the council.

"Brother, you can not simply sentence him without hearing everything he has had to say! He has told you his reasoning, and it was true! They returned to the earth as soon as they were slain, I have seen this with my own eyes!" This came from Poseidon, the father of the demigod in question. Hades was now allowed on the council due to Percy's wish at the end of the second war, but could not form an opinion. He knew the effects the killing of a human could have on a person's soul, no matter the reason.

"You are biased, brother, for the traitor is your son. Be silent."

On the other side sat Hera, who could not go against her husband, no matter what she thought. While the boy showed slight insolence to her, she could put it aside by attributing it to the influence of that Annie girl, who seemed to hate her no matter what she did. Demeter was also against the boy, as one of her children was also in the group, and she mourned the loss of her child. Hestia, the last of the elder gods and goddesses, was stoutly with Percy, as she knew for a fact that the seven killed had been in self-defense, as they were traitors to Olympus, and a threat to the rest of their children.

Moving on, Apollo knew he was biased, but he supported Percy, despite one of his children, a daughter, being part of the group. His daughter who had been killed was rotten to the core - while he could not directly interact with her, he could still discern that much. And, as the God of Truth, he could tell that Percy was not lying about anything that he had said, except perhaps that he would do it again if the need arose. The blood on Percy's hands was affecting him already, and that was how Apollo knew without a doubt that he was innocent. "Father, he is telling the truth!"

"Silence, Apollo! I know that you do not like me, my son, but at least let us condemn this murderer!" Apollo just shook his head, disgusted by the man he called his father.

Across from him, his twin sister Artemis was currently torn between voting with the hero or her father. While she had no ties with any of the seven killed, one of the females had been a virgin, and she believed that, given the chance, she could've been saved, but, instead, she was now dead. However, she also knew that he was right in his actions, and he shouldn't be sentenced to literal Hell for doing the right thing, as that was no doubt what her father was planning to do.

Aphrodite was simply against the boy to make his love life harder. After all, his girlfriend, Annabeth, would no doubt join him in Tartarus as he had done for her, right? And what was more romantic than a boy and a girl in love, fighting together against anything and everything? Of course, it wasn't because she was bitter at him for not wanting to sleep with her. Because everyone wanted to sleep with her. She was the prettiest woman on the planet, right? Right...?

Hephaestus also lost a daughter in the seven, the maiden that was influencing Artemis, and, although Percy had helped them out, and was a friend of one of his favorite children, Leo, he simply could not let the death of his daughter go unnoticed. He could have brought them in without killing them, at the very least!

Ares had also lost a son, but even if he hadn't, it wouldn't have changed his answer: "Guilty as charged, Pops. Look at him. He even said he'd do it again. He's a danger to Olympus, throw him in the Pit." Of course, Ares didn't really think that the punk was dangerous, he just loved to see the weaklings squirm, and the runt had the audacity to best him in combat. He could rot for all Ares cared.

Dionysus voted with his father - an attempt to appease him to hopefully reduce his sentence at the blasted camp. Athena also voted with her father - she had lost a son, which only fueled her rage against the sea spawn, overpowering any instinct to adhere to her domains and think her thoughts through. The hatred of Poseidon and his children, the loss of her son, as well as that dreaded Perseus dating her dater - it was all too much to handle. With him out of the picture, many problems would be solved, and her children avenged. "Of course we must throw him into the Pit, father. He has murdered seven demigods. What is to stop him from killing the rest of our children under the pretense of them being traitors? He obviously suffers from PTSD, but that is no excuse."

Last was Hermes. He had lost two children, a son and a daughter. And yet, despite having more of a reason than any other god to hate Percy, he just couldn't do it. The boy had tried his hardest to do everything before killing those seven kids, just like he had tried to do everything to save Hermes' other son, Luke. He knew that the seven were servants of Gaea, and, in the end, none were repentant. His own children had followed each and every word that had come out of damn Marcus' mouth, eager to please the son of the King of the Gods.

And so, the vote was tallied, although one could expect that even if it had not gone in his favor, Zeus would have banished the boy anyway. "Any last words, Perseus? And, just so you know, so you may be tortured for eternity, and just because it would ruin you even more, you will be granted immortality as you descend into the Pit." Zeus smirked at his 'logic'.

Percy took a slow look around the room of arranged gods and goddesses. His father was looking down and crying, tiny droplets of salt water forming and falling to the throne below. Percy could feel the seas around the world in turmoil. Hestia was openly sobbing at the prospect of losing her favorite demigod, perhaps, forever. Apollo and Artemis both had their eyes closed, wishing they could do more for the hero. It seemed, at the end of the day, no matter how they got there, their minds remained connected.

On the other hand, he could see Demeter's morose expression, knew that she wished she didn't feel like it was necessary to banish him, but in the end, she had. Ares looked as triumphant as ever, finally getting to see his rival beaten down. He looked into Athena's eyes, the ones he felt most betrayed by - he had thought that he had finally proved to her that he was worthy of her daughter, but apparently not. He could see there the little flecks of alarm and grief that had started to poke through the haze surrounding her mind - hints of the wisdom she truly possessed breaking through, seconds too late. And Zeus.

Zeus was... interesting. It seemed that he had been thrown into a blind rage by the death of his son. For a second, Percy sympathized with him. Then he remembered that he was being eternally damned by him, and threw that care out of the window. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

"To those who voted against me, for many of you, I understand your thought process. Some of you, I do not blame. I wish you could see the proof and the truth. To those who voted for me, thank you. If I ever get out of this mess, maybe this will be something we can laugh about one day. Dad, I'm sorry I couldn't be a better son. Please, don't tell my mom that I've been sentenced to Tartarus. Let her think that I am a terrible child, that I hate her, anything but this. And please, move on from me. Don't let your emotions wreak havoc on the people, it's not their fault. Lastly... Zeus. My Lord, I'm sorry for the loss of your son. I really am. But... one day you will realize that this was the wrong choice. And, I swear it on the River Styx, I will be there to witness it." Thunder flashed in the background, signaling the oath's creation. "And, since I'm already eternally damned anyways, I'm free to say this... fuck you, almighty Zeus." Percy flipped him the bird, and as the Pit opened behind him, and Zeus rose to strike him in with his bolt, he looked at one last person, Lady Hestia, who had an arm extended towards him with a light orange glow. Even as he was hit by the bolt, and could feel himself pushed into literal Hell, he could still feel that orange light washing over him, providing him with a slight feel of heat, as well as calm, as he fell, smoking, towards the worst place on Earth, for the second time that year.

* * *

As he fell, Percy couldn't help but think, _'Damn, this would all be real anti-climatic if I died as soon as I fell.'_ Of course, this wasn't to be, as he could feel the immortality kicking in halfway through the drop, which was also probably the reason why he had survived the strike from the Master Bolt.

As it was, he just had to draw the moisture in from the atmosphere around him, which was actually really humid for some reason, in an attempt to slow his descent. What he did not expect, however, was a tug in his naval which was unfamiliar to him, and definitely not the accompanying flames that started to pour out of his feet at such a rate that his descent slowed, and after a few moments he started to actually start moving back up. And then the flames sputtered, and he started to lose altitude again. _'Alright, that was new...'_ he thought,_ 'what the Hades did Hestia do to me?'_

With a few more attempts, he managed to coax the flames back, although they were nowhere near as strong as before, and just barely avoided splatting into a pancake with a combination of the flame propellants and the water shield that he had managed to obtain from the atmosphere around him. Above him, he could only watch as the entrance he came from closed itself off.

Shaking his head, Percy started to move - perks of having ADHD, he could never stay still anyways. He didn't know where he was going, but figured that he would find something eventually. As he moved, he started to think about what Hestia had done to him. For a long time, he couldn't figure it out - and then he thanked his lucky constellations that he was sometimes listening to Annabeth when she talked about the most random of things, because, one time, she had mentioned champions.

Gods could choose champions, who gained many things, such as an overall boost to physical attributes and intelligence (which was probably why Percy was even able to remember all of this stuff anyway), and also characteristics of the god or goddess' abilities. Now, Percy just had to remember Hestia's abilities... she was normally just so peaceful, it was slightly difficult to remember her doing anything other than being diplomatic, or caring for her hearth.

Luckily or unluckily, as all the thinking was starting to hurt his brain, Percy managed to run into a group of monsters. Actually, it was slightly crazy that he had traveled for over an hour without finding any monsters, but he attributed it to Zeus finding the most desolate landing place to throw him.

The group was made up of two hellhounds and a cyclops - not favorable odds for a normal demigod, but Percy wasn't a normal demigod... and after his fall from Olympus, not even a demigod at all, actually. Uncapping Riptide, which he had luckily been allowed to keep, he grinned - finally, some action! He could only think for so long before getting bored.

The cyclops saw the sword and let out a booming laugh. "How the Hero of Olympus has fallen... Welcome to the Pit... _Brother_..." He smirked, and charged, followed by the two hellhounds. Percy grit his teeth, and swung his sword, surprisingly with much more ease than before. Perhaps another side effect of the blessing? The first hellhound was cleaved in half, letting out a yelp of surprise, sadly reminding Percy of Mrs. O' Leary. The second hellhound leaped back, and the cyclops came running in. Raising its club over its head, the monster brought it down on Percy, who tried to block it...

Only to feel the bones in his left hand crack slightly as he redirected the blow. _'Note to self...'_ Percy thought, _'Enhanced strength does NOT mean enhanced durability...' _Luckily, he was immortal now, so, with any luck, or even just adherence to the normal rules of godly logic, his hand would be as good as new in a few hours. But... right now, he was a hand down against a cyclops and a hellhound.

He jumped forward, surprising the two monsters, and cut off the left leg of the cyclops with a side slash, leaving the monster unable to move without falling over. Seeing him distracted, the hellhound jumped at him, intent on clawing his back, only for Percy to whirl around and decapitate it with a single blow. He smirked, and turned back to the cyclops, finishing him off quickly. He started running, seeing the gold dust of the first hellhound starting to swirl back up - after all, no monster stayed dead for too long in Tartarus.

As he ran, he remembered something that Lady Hestia had once told him. _"The hearth has the power to harm as well as heal, Young Perseus." _At the time, Percy had just wanted her to stop calling him 'Perseus', but now, it had more importance to him. He tried to focus the power he had felt before into his left hand, but, logic filling the gaps he had missed, fire came out instead, the rush of power through his hand hurting it even more in the process.

He grit his teeth to hold back a scream, knowing the pain and emotions that came from it would already be attracting some monsters to his location. He tried again, this time focusing the power to stay inside his hand, and hopefully not explode it or something. Miraculously, he felt another wave of heat flow to his hand, and suddenly, the bones started to repair themselves, and the tissues and tendons started to pull back together, However, there was an unexpected drawback to using a goddess' power in a place full of the enemies of the gods and goddesses.

As soon as his hand finished healing, there were multiple flashes of light around him. Percy looked around him to see multiple Titans, such as Hyperion, and Krios, and, of course, at the head...

"Why, hello there, grandson of mine... how nice of you to... _drop _in." Kronos cackled.

* * *

**Here, my attempt to create a 'Percy falls into Tartarus' story with an actually balanced Percy, since most of the ones I've found he's either pathetically weak, unreasonably strong, or highly mentally unstable. Next chapter will be him out of the Pit, and roaming around America (will do flashbacks to try and make it up to this point in Tartarus over time) until he is finally caught by Artemis and the Hunters. Yes, this will be a Percy with the Hunt story. No, it will not be a Pertemis... probably. Even though I like the ship, he now has a vendetta against the gods, and will be placed under the Hunt's 'care' and more of a watchful eye to make sure he is not going to turn against Olympus, although it is also twenty years later. No time changing in Tartarus, yay, despite what the first book said about the Lotus Casino and monsters gathering yada yada yada.**

**TO BE CLEAR, Percy is not going to be blessed by Chaos or some shit. No Chaos in this story. Yippee. He isn't going to have wings or anything like that. He has been blessed by Hestia in an attempt to save his life. While he will gain slight pyrokinesis, he isn't going to suddenly be able to create miniature suns. He will probably be able to conjure up enough fire to mix it in with his normal fighting, and through constant torture and spars with titans and stuff will gain more combat skill. The healing I gave him is not instantaneous, not broken, and not easy to do. I'm trying to keep him balanced. Also, yes, he will be able to summon food - Not godly ambrosia and nectar, because that's dumb, but some simple home cooked meals for himself. He's not going to be able to just clap his hands and ta-da, a meal for forty appears on the banquet table, enjoy your feast.**

**Ah, yes, another thing - he won't take too kindly to being taken advantage of by the hunters. He will try to bear with it, because that is the type of person he is, and that won't have changed too much over the two decades he has been gone. But he will snap. He won't be their errand boy and chore boy, and definitely won't roll over because of some infatuation with Artemis. Jesus Christ, I love me a well written Pertemis story, but all this stupidity over people changing their entire personalities over the course of a few weeks is just mind-boggling to me. Sorry, that's all for this little rant.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review and favorite if you liked it, if you didn't, feel free to tell me where I went wrong!**

**Thanks,  
PJO Fan Power.**

**Chapter finished 11:22 PM, September Thirtieth, 2019.  
Total word count: 3,313 words.**


	2. Chapter 2

A lone figure in a gray hoodie stood in an early morning fog, somewhere in New Hampshire. He was tall, muscular, and... off. There was simply no other way to describe him. There was something wrong. It just... wasn't something visible. If one could somehow look close enough, they would see raven black hair. More curious would be his eyes - sea-green, with flecks of orange fluttering around the irises. The man knew this. That was why he worked so hard to keep his face hidden, with his hood and sunglasses.

He was standing here for a simple reason. He was waiting. So he waited, and he waited. Eventually... his target showed up. A frightened child, no more than ten, ran into his eyesight. Less than a hundred feet behind her were two large men. They ran after the girl, all the while muttering apologies to passerby, explaining how the girl was running off, not wanting to go to school.

The people around it accepted the reasoning. After all, it made sense, and it wasn't their problem. Why should they bother with something that wasn't wrong? The two men broke from the crowd, and the man in the gray hoodie could easily see what the others couldn't - a single, bloodshot eye in the middle of each one's forehead. Cyclops.

He quickly made his move - He rushed towards the little girl, his large strides easily overtaking her small ones. He ran up to her, and scooped her up in his arms - she quickly made a sign of protest, and made to scream, until the man lowered his shades slightly. Something about his eyes made her want to trust him, and, so, for the time being, she did.

They ducked into an alley, which turned out to be a dead end. Whimpering, the girl started to panic as the two cyclops made their way towards them. "Hey, man, thanks for grabbing her for us. She's my daughter, little dyke doesn't seem to want to go to school! You would think after they reformed-" He was cut off by the guy laughing.

"Yeah, no worries. Anything to help out a friend." He smiled, his eyes once again hidden.

"Yeah, right. Anyway, what's your name? We'd be delighted to treat you to a meal after how much you've helped us." The two monsters started walking forwards.

The man smiled and held his hand out in a closed fist, as if waiting for a fist bump. "You might've heard of me..." The smile turned sinister in a second. "I've been started to be called Omega... since, you know, I'm the last thing you monsters see until the Pit." In a single fluid motion, it was revealed that the man was holding a pen in his fist, and, when he uncapped it, a sword sprang out, and decapitated the two monsters in an instant, turning them into nothing but golden dust.

The man turned around the to little girl, who had just started to peek out from her hiding spot. "It's okay, now. Those two monsters are gone." The little girl's eyes widened.

"You're... like me..." She whispered. "You could see them too." The man nodded. With a single look, he knew her godly heritage, and a slight frown adorned his features.

"Yes, I am like you, Your mother sent me to come and save you from the monsters." He told her, the lying almost programmed into his speech.

"My... mother?" She asked. "I've never known my mother... My daddy always just said she was the smartest woman he had ever met before... before those guys killed him..." She spoke the last part with a whimper.

"Yes. She loves you very much. What do you know about Greek mythology...?"

* * *

The girl, Gracie, had been almost a perfect copy of her mother, Athena, and Omega had seen it in an instant. As he dropped her off outside the place where he had spent much of his teenage years, he spared a glance at Camp Half-Blood. It hadn't changed in the twenty years he had been... _gone._ He turned away slowly, only to detect another group of presences surrounding him. "Hunters." He spoke through gritted teeth. "What a surprise."

"Omega." Greeted the girl who seemed to be the leader of the group. "We have been tasked with bringing you in to Olympus. Come quietly, or come in chains." Honestly, thought Omega, not the greatest options.

"I choose option three - not coming to Olympus at all. If you'd be so kind," he walked towards the edge of the circle, where the Hunters gathered instead of made way for him.

"You insolent male," one of them spoke. "You should be glad Lady Artemis even gave you a choice at all!"

"Ah, is that you, Phoebe? It has been quite a while." He spoke in an attempt to throw her off balance, which succeeded.

"I... what? Who are you, _boy?_" She growled. He laughed in response.

"Just a-" Suddenly, there was a surge in power behind him - Thalia. He whirled around and redirected her spear strike, careful to not let her see his eyes. Behind him, Artemis rushed forward, intent on at least knocking him out. He dodged out of the way, hoping to send her barreling into her lieutenant. Of course, she was a god, and had godly reactions, and managed to divert her course out of the way.

The rest of the Hunt had solidified the ring around the three. While it seemed like it would make escaping easier to just pass a few of them, it actually made it harder, since the man seemed to refrain from hurting other people. Artemis noticed this, and decided to use this to her advantage. She started to press harder on her opponent, giving small signals to Thalia to do the same.

This went on for a few minutes, the rest of the Hunt continuously becoming more and more impatient. Eventually, the man spoke, slightly out of breath, but not too much - an incredible feat for lasting against the Goddess of the Hunt and her lieutenant, "You see, Lady Artemis, you have made two mistakes."

Artemis bristled, but kept her anger under control for the time being. "And what would those two mistakes be, boy?"

"You have attacked me during the waxing gibbous. You're not at full power right now, thank... not the Gods for that."

"And the second?" Artemis demanded.

"You presume too much." He smirked, and whirled around and knocked out the Hunter closest to him, then quickly took out the one on either side of that Hunter. It was done in under two seconds, a remarkable feat. The Hunters, who had grown bored of the back-and-forth fight, were now struggling to regain their focus. Alas, too little, too late.

In under thirty seconds, a quarter of the Hunt was knocked unconscious. Of course, the mystery man had sustained a wound as well, a cut on his cheek. The coloring of the blood revealed him to be immortal to Artemis, although it was far too dark for any of the others in the Hunt to see such a minute detail. The man dashed through the whole he created in the forces.

In an instant, Artemis was after him. None of the others were nearly fast enough to keep up with the two, and although Artemis was not in a forest, it was still nighttime, and she was easily faster than the hooded man. In no time at all, she caught up to him, and their battle resumed, which Artemis quickly realized was what he wanted.

Soon, she found herself on the defensive, any attack she made was quickly countered, and he was fluid enough to counter her dodges and parries. "You are a skilled fighter. Who taught you?"

"When the alternative is having your entrails ripped out, cut up, filled with acid, then shoved back in, you learn to fight decently well. And was that praise for a male I heard, Lady Artemis? You better not let your brother Apollo hear that, here he comes right now." While it was not a real answer, she had to admit that he was right. The sun was breaking over the horizon, and Artemis could feel her power decreasing as each moment passed. If she wanted to succeed, she would have to end this soon.

There! Artemis saw a weak point as the man overextended, and punched his face, shattering the right lens of his sunglasses. However, he rolled his face back with her punch, causing her to overextend her arm, which he swiftly grabbed and twisted, pulling the Huntress closer to him before flipping her over his back. She landed on her feet unsteadily, and was then kicked in the back of her knee, and was forced to kneel down.

"You're lucky I hold no personal animosity towards you, Mi' Lady." He spoke surprisingly softly. "Damn, I liked these glasses, too!" He laughed, a sound out of place in the serious situation they found themselves in. He took off the now-broken sunglasses with the hand not currently restraining the goddess, and placed them into his pocket. Her head slightly free now, Artemis looked at her opponent's face, and with a gasp, she looked into the face of the very-much alive, very-much out of Tartarus Percy Jackson.

* * *

_While Percy knew that he had beaten Kronos before, that had been on his own turf. Now, he was here on the titan's turf, and he wasn't the one with backup. Still, he wasn't one to go down without a fight. "Now that I'm looking at you, I just figured out that the reason why they called you the Crooked One was probably 'cause of your teeth, pops." Kronos laughed, but there was no humor in it._

_"I will enjoy breaking you, _grandson_." Kronos spoke._

_A small time later, Percy was panting heavily. In front of him, Kronos was smirking. Around the two of them laid the bodies of Hyperion, Krios, Pallas, as well as Perses' dying body._

_"A valiant attempt, hero." Kronos said these words with a small amount of respect. Although he hadn't fought the boy, he had just beaten four other titans, one of them being the Titan of Destruction. The fact that he was still standing was no small feat. "Those Olympians have no idea what they have just lost."_

_Percy let lose a coughing laugh. "They haven't lost me. No matter what, they're still my family. Although I guess that doesn't mean much to you, huh?" Kronos chuckled and shook his head from side to side slowly._

_"Loyalty... That is your fatal flaw. But, do they deserve your loyalty, son of Poseidon? You have saved them twice, and have been granted Hell. Not exactly a great 'thank you', is it?" Perseus tried not to be disturbed by his words, although they perfectly reflected his innermost thoughts. Instead, he tried doing a technique he had practiced greatly - one of his three hidden talents._

_He held his arm out, towards Kronos, and felt the familiar tug in his naval. Kronos' eyes widened as his own arm began to shake against his own will. "So... you inherited one of the greatest secrets of Olympus." Kronos' voice was calm even as his hand, holding his scythe, began to start inching towards his chest. "Good try, hero. But... I... Am... A... TITAN!" As if his words had magically summoned a power, a golden wave shot out of Kronos at the last word and crashed into Percy, sending him into a rock extrusion._

_With this last hit, Percy was out of energy. That last trick trying to control Kronos' arm had drained him of the rest of his energy. However, as Kronos leaned down to inspect Percy, as he slipped out of consciousness, he managed to spit defiantly on Kronos' face. And then all went dark._

* * *

"Perseus," gasped Artemis. Percy, realized he had been revealed, silently cursed his decision to take off the glasses. "You're... back." She finished somewhat awkwardly.

"Thank you, Vice Admiral Obvious." The joke went over Artemis' head, or she ignored it.

"How long have you been back?" She demanded, seemingly forgetting that Percy was the one who had her pinned.

"Three months." Was the quick response. Artemis sighed.

"You are aware that now I will have to take you to Olympus, right? Father will want to see you." Percy smirked.

"Ah, but who has who pinned here, Lady Artemis?" In an instant, Percy could feel his mass shifting as his feet were swept out from under him. In an instant, his arms were on the ground, and a knee on his chest.

"I have you pinned, I believe." Surprisingly, Percy laughed.

"Fair enough. Lead the way, Mi' Lady."


	3. Chapter 3

_'I wonder if she knows that these chains can't hold me?' _Percy thought. _'Of course she does, she's not that stupid... right?' _He contemplated that for a second. Being able to do nothing but wait for many years had killed most of his impulsive nature. He marched up to the Throne Room, a magnificent structure that Percy recalled being awestruck at the first time he had seen it.

Oh, all those years ago. Of course, the awe faded quickly back then, when he had remembered that he was there to hopefully not die for something he had nothing to do with. Now, there was just indifference. His 'fate' had been given in the room before him. He had sunk into the Pit from the highest point possible.

All of the sudden, the doors blew open. He walked in slowly, being led by Artemis, who lifted an ethereal silver bow and shot a streaking silver arrow into the sky, where it flashed into thirteen different colors, which all went separate directions. "Oh, fireworks," Percy smiled. "Yippee." Artemis shot him a confused glance, no doubt wondering if he had been turned insane by his time in the pit. It was possible, but unlikely.

It took about two minutes before the first god flashed in. "Percy..." Hermes breathed, unable to form a full sentence at seeing the Son of Poseidon back.

"Lord Hermes," Percy acknowledged. He respected the god for having seen reason even throughout the deaths of his children. But the God of Travelers was wary.

"There's only two ways back from the Pit. Tell me, have you joined Kronos or Gaea?" Percy looked appalled.

"Of course not! I spent a long time with dear ol' pops though. Wasn't too fun. Hey, isn't he your grandpa also, now that I think about it?" Hermes nodded warily. "Oh well. Family issues, huh?" Hermes was saved from responding by another flash in the air, this time, Athena. She surveyed the room quickly.

"Artemis, why have you called..." She trailed off, finally landing her eyes on the one she had banished to Hell. "Percy..." She spoke, taking in the chains. Grief filled her eyes, and Percy noted the weakened aura around her. It appeared that her actions had taken their toll on her.

"Oh, if it isn't the goddess of Unwisdom herself," Percy sneered. The betrayal two decades ago did not fade easily, and throughout his time with Kronos, Athena had been the one targeted most. Artemis appeared and smacked the back of his head lightly, forcing his chin down. He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Athena looked like she wanted to approach him, but she held back. She saw his fingers twitching, and the forced smile on his face. It would not be wise, she decided, somewhat ironically. Another flash signified the arrival of another goddess, Aphrodite. She was immediately all over Percy.

"Oh my, Artemis, who is this _hot _hunk of meat you've brought? Someone finally to catch your eye?" She winked at Artemis, who grew slightly enraged by the question, but breathed in deeply to try and sate her anger. Aphrodite then made her way over to Percy, still not recognizing him. "Hey there big guy. I don't know what you did to make little Arty over here mad at you, but I'm sure if you helped me... _scratch an itch_, this could all blow away, if you know what I mean." She winked and blew Percy a kiss.

Without looking up, Percy deadpanned, "No." Aphrodite blinked in response, but attributed it to him not having seen her body.

"Why don't you look at me, sweetheart? I'm sure we can figure something out." She hugged her arms under her breasts to accentuate them more, but the dark-haired man refused to even glance at her. She tried again, charmspeaking, "Wouldn't you just _love _to take me out to dinner somewhere, maybe have a few drinks, and maybe share some... privacy?" She poured the charmspeak into her words.

Finally, the prisoner looked up at her, making her jump away in fright. "Fuck off, Aphrodite." Aphrodite's eyes widened, remembering the misdeed he had done to him on his judgment day.

"P-Percy!" She squeaked. "I-I'm so sor-" He cut her off.

"Save it. I know what you tried to do. Leave me alone before I decide the rest aren't worth it." He muttered. The goddess obliged, practically running away to her throne as the rest of the gods flashed in. After about three more minutes, the rest of the gods were finally assembled.

"Daughter, why have you called this meeting?" The King of the Gods spoke. Even through his immortality, the signs of stress were showing. Throughout his blond hair were streaks of gray, and his eyes looked tired.

"Well," The Goddess of the Hunt started her story, "I was making my way to Camp Half-Blood with my hunters, we were making our annual trip. However, outside, we noticed a man bringing a child into camp. But this man had no godly presence, yet a large amount of power, and seemingly a hatred towards the camp itself. So, of course, I stopped him, and detained him."

"And he came with you, just like that?" Apollo spoke from his throne, encouraging his sister to speak more, who sighed in response.

"No. I surrounded him with my hunters, and he caught some of them off-guard and knocked them out. I chased him down and then beat him in combat." Apollo detected the last part as a half truth, but decided to let it slide. He didn't need to air his older sister's dirty laundry.

"Get to the point, Artemis. Who is this man?" Zeus questioned his daughter. Artemis stared her father directly in the eyes and took a deep breath.

"He's the only one who can help us win this war, father..." She trailed off, collecting herself. "Perseus Jackson." There was an tumult immediately. Most of the gods scrambled for their weapons, while Hestia smirked, his father's eyes widened in joy, and Zeus... sighed in relief? That last part was surprising. Hades nodded in approval, no doubt having sensed him leaving Tartarus immediately.

Ares rushed at him, having gained a spear and shield. "Ares, stop." Came the voice of Zeus. It wasn't worried, wasn't paranoid, just absolute. He turned to Percy, and shrunk down to a humanoid size, walking towards the young man. "Nephew, it is good to see you. I was worried that you planned on avoiding us entirely." Percy raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He was very confused, raising an eyebrow at the thunder god walking closer to him. Zeus shook his head and laughed, confusing the rest of the gods now, too. The blond-haired man had seemed nearly depressed for the past few months, so this was highly out of character, and towards Percy no less.

"You truly are dense," the god said in wonder. "How else do you think you made it out of the Pit?" Athena's eyes widened, followed by Percy's. That had been a question on his mind. He had been wandering before he had been able to make it back to the land of the dead, and then the living after that.

"Only a god or titan has enough power to open a hole into Tartarus..." Athena whispered.

"Or out of it..." Percy finished. "I see. Thank you, uncle. I assume that my father and Hades were in on this as well?" The two mentioned nodded, reaffirming what Zeus had said.

"You should never have gone in there. Hecate has been stripped of her domains and godhood, I assure you." Percy tilted his head, the chains behind him rattling.

"Why?" Was the simple question he asked. Athena sighed and took it as her time to shine. She shrunk down to mortal form and approached Percy, keeping a close eye on his bound hands.

"She was enlisted by Gaea as a last resort if she failed. At the very least, she wanted to take you down, so she had Hecate enchant some of us to... vote against you." Percy stared at her, his eyes piercing almost into her very soul.

"Bullshit."

"I swear it on the Styx." Thunder rumbled in the background. Percy nodded, the angered look on his face not disappearing.

"Who was enchanted?"

"Zeus, Hephaestus, Hermes, Aphrodite, and... me." Percy's eyes narrowed.

"So... Hermes could fight it off, and the rest of you couldn't? Hades, Hermes had the most reason out of all of you to convict me!"

"It's not that simple-" Athena started, but was cut off by Percy's angered yelling.

"It seems pretty simple to me! You're pathetic, Athena. I'm disappointed that I ever planned to call you "Mom"." Athena choked back a sob, while Aphrodite gasped. All of the sudden, the chains around the son of the sea's arms burst. He grinned as he felt the sensation of being 'fully awake' again, reminding him of the start of his forced training.

* * *

_"Get up." A voice came into Percy's groggy head. He tried to look around at his surroundings, but everything was dark._

_"Five more minutes..." he groaned, inexplicably tired. All of the sudden, a foot made contact with his side, and his body flashed in pain. So, he either wasn't at home, or had time-traveled back to when Gabe was still alive. He tried to move his arms, but found that they were shackled together. So, not Gabe, then. He had always been too dumb to know how to lock anything up._

_Finally his eyes adjusted to the dim light, and his memories started coming back to him. Falling into the Pit, fighting the Titans, losing to Kronos... being captured. A sense of hopelessness washed over him as he made his way to his feet. The sting in his side faded quickly, but he was jostled into a room. The guard who had been moving him finally faced him, and Percy found it was some sort of hog-human hybrid._

_"Wow, someone's been taking their ugly pills." He said. The hybrid had the face and snout of a pig, the body of a human, and cleft feet. The hybrid grunted and smacked Percy across the face before unlocking his the cuffs around his wrists. Percy immediately punched the monster, and then wished he hadn't. The cheekbones were incredibly durable, apparently. The monster grinned maliciously before holding up a small remote and pointing at Percy's neck._

_He looked down, and noticed a collar he had missed before. His head shot back up, but it was already too late. Electricity sizzled across his skin, thousands of watts going through his body, much more than Thalia had ever blasted him with. He fell to the ground, convulsing. "Don't attempt to escape, or we will take disciplinary action." The monster spoke in a monotone voice, although his eyes flashed with glee - and a challenge. '_Do it. Try it. Just try it._' They begged. Percy knew well enough that it was a trap._

_"That collar serves as tracking, punishment, and also containment. Wherever you go, whatever you do, we will know." Ah, that explained why he could only access about a tenth of his power. It was probably due to the amount of Celestial Bronze that had been put into the device. The pig then held up a familiar pen. "Do you want your weapon or not?" Percy's eyes widened._

_"How did you manage to... what...?" Riptide had always returned to him, no matter what. The pig snorted._

_"Sewed up your pockets. Honestly, your minds are so narrow." It was true. Riptide returned to his pocket, but if he had no pockets... Apparently it stayed where it was. He made a grab for the sword, but his guard pulled it away, and then chucked it at the wall. "Fetch."_

_Percy made a run for his weapon, leaning down to grab it. As soon as his fingers closed around it, he heard the hybrid say, "Have fun." He whirled around quickly, but another wall had appeared behind him, and when he turned back around, the wall that Riptide had run into had disappeared. He took a few tentative stepped forward. He made his way into an arena, where hundreds, perhaps thousands of monsters sat in the stands._

_"And for your newest contender, fresh from upstairs..." An announcers voice boomed throughout the arena, but Percy could care less, since as soon as he had stepped in, he had felt some more of his power return to him. "Peeeeerseus... Jaaaacksooon!" Percy, hearing his name, started looking around, before finally realizing what he had been forced into. Across the arena, the Nemean Lion roared and stamped his foot._

_Percy swore and thought, '_Fresh out of astronaut food, damn it.'

* * *

**Sorry if this doesn't really seem to fit too well. I had to try a few different versions before I decided on this. I'm just trying to get to the good stuff - war and brutality. And stuff. So, the gods aren't entirely responsible for their actions. Unsurprising, since their actions had seemed odd even then. However, Percy isn't about to forgive them immediately. He appreciates Zeus due to Zeus getting him out of Tartarus, meaning that he had at least seen he was wrong. Still doesn't mean he forgives him.**


	4. Chapter 4

Massive waves of power rolled throughout the room before they disappeared. Percy sighed, his sea-green eyes darkening an imperceptible hue. "Chains annoy me," he stated, popping his neck. Zeus' eyes widened in shock, but otherwise, nothing else happened.

"Another war is coming, this time with-"

"Tartarus, yeah, I know," Percy interrupted, fixing Zeus with a glare of annoyance. "I was there, remember? That place has been stirring for at least fifteen years, I'm surprised you only noticed now."

Zeus frowned at his nephew's insolence. "Will you fight for us?" Percy looked shocked that Zeus actually had the guts to ask that of him after sentencing him to the Pit, enchanted or not.

"I will fight for Olympus. But I'm not doing it just for you. Your children don't deserve to die just because of your mistakes." Ares' eyes narrowed as he realized the difference between the immortal before him and the demigod he had voted to be banished. The demigod they had banished had been a hero, but this... this new Perseus was a soldier. He could respect a soldier.

Zeus leaned forward in his seat. "Will you swear loyalty to Olympus?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

"What, you don't trust me? Wonder why..." Percy spoke the last part softly with heavy sarcasm.

Zeus smiled a half-smile. "A lesson that seems to come back to me is that you should always get a solemn oath." Percy nodded. '_Deja Vu, except the positions are swapped.' _

"Alright, but only if you can prove to me that you have been doing the best that you possibly could for your children in your absence. Otherwise, I'll save them and let you all die off slowly." The threat caused a ripple throughout the gods, including Dionysus who finally started paying to the meeting, remembering his children, who Percy had helped when he was a demigod. Why had he voted against the boy, again?

"Alright. We have done our best to show them all the recognition they deserve, so you shall go-" Zeus was cut off again, but this time from a more unlikely goddess.

"With me. Perseus shall go with me, father," Artemis spoke up. Seeing most of the gods' and goddesses' expressions, she continued, "When I surrounded Perseus with my Hunters, he knocked out a great deal of my Hunt in only a few minutes. They are experienced with a bow, but not so much with melee weapons. If Perseus agrees, he will train them." Zeus mulled over it for a few seconds, thinking of the pros and cons.

Suddenly, Hades entered the conversation for the first time since they had talked about bringing Percy out of the Pit. "I think that is a good idea, but only if my nephew agrees. We have no right to force him to do anything." The gods and goddesses agreed on that. Hephaestus' beard even paused from its constant burning state for a moment as he nodded. The Lord of the Seas spoke up.

"We also need to do something to repay my son for the time he wrongly spent in the Pit." Zeus looked ready to argue for a moment, but then stopped and reconsidered. It wasn't worth fighting, most likely. He also knew what his brother wanted for the immortal, most likely. "I propose we make Percy into a god." Percy instantly got into the way of that idea.

"No. Immortality was more than I wanted already, thank you. If you really want to repay me, take it away after the war ends. I am fine with training Artemis' Hunters in melee combat, as long as they are aware that I am not evil. The last time I had to counter dozens of arrows, the sky was blotted out at Thermopylae." The words seemed humorous enough, but gave a brief insight into what Perseus' life for the past two decades had been like... Or they would've, if any of the gods had been thinking along those lines. As it was, it seemed more like sarcasm than anything else.

"The demigods weren't told of your banishment before Hecate's enchantment wore off, and by that time, we had already started trying to find you so we could bring you back out of Tartarus. Instead, they were told that you were sent on missions by us, the Gods, so you have been hailed as even greater of a hero than before." Suddenly, Percy was glad that Annabeth had moved on from him. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to wait two decades for someone who seemed to have just run off.

"I understand. The place I was in... was not easily accessible." He was referring to the recreated Colosseum that he had woken up in, as well as the rest of the complex it occupied. _'So that's why it took so long...' _Perseus noted. "If that's all..." He trailed off, trying to incite more conversation. Suddenly, his patron, Hestia, stood up.

"All of this, and you have still tried to do nothing to truly repay him!" She shouted at the rest of the gods and goddesses. Offering him immortality meant nothing - he already had it, and didn't want it. Demeter looked at her sister.

"Repay him for what?" She questioned, making a few people to stare at her in annoyance and dismay.

"Oh, I don't know... maybe for sentencing him to Tartarus for twenty years, or for him saving your children for the past three months? He got out of Hell, and his first thought was to help the children you all were failing to save," The normally peaceful goddess of the hearth spat, anger filling her tone. While she tried her best to be diplomatic, their constant, outrageous abuse of Perseus Jackson tore at her very essence.

The gods and goddesses started muttering, saying names of their children who had shown up at camp in the past few months. A few gods had had no children saved, such as, of course, Artemis, Hestia, and Hera, but others, such as Hermes, had had multiple. Athena's eyes started to drip as she realized that Percy had still helped her children even after what she had done to him - and no doubt the negative connotations each one held to Annabeth.

Percy snorted. "I didn't do that for you guys, so you have nothing to repay me for. Unlike some people, I don't judge progeny by parent." The last sentence was a spear through Athena's heart, while Zeus & Hades also frowned, both knowing they were guilty of such as well.

"We will... discuss reparations at a later time," Zeus commanded. "As of now, this meeting is concluded." Some gods looked surprised at the abrupt end, but didn't worry enough to care. A select few stayed, though, those being Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Athena. Artemis and Athena were by the entrance to the Great Hall, talking quietly, although the topic seemed to be anything but calm. Aphrodite was waiting outside.

Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon approached Percy, the god of the Sea quickly embracing his son, the air smelling strongly of saltwater. "Percy, my child... I'm so glad to have you back." Percy looked up at his father, a genuine smile appearing on his face for the first time during the meeting.

"Hey, dad." He relaxed into the hug slightly.

His father pulled away, and looked at him sadly. "We have to catch up, soon. But now is not the time." Hades took over, although Zeus seemed upset that he did not have the chance to speak.

"As you aware, Tartarus is rising. You are, without fail, the greatest hero of Greece, Perseus." Perseus raised an eyebrow at the comment, but accepted it nonetheless. "We have brought you back to help us win this war. We are aware that we don't exactly deserve it, but we have tried to do our best to change our ways."

Zeus now began to speak. "After your... imprisonment, we reevaluated our relationships with our children. You were..." He seemed to choke on the words. "Correct in what you said after the second Titanomachy. Our children were encouraged to turn against us not because they didn't know better, but because they knew worse. Worse being our treatment, of course." Perseus stared at the god. It had taken him this long to understand that? Zeus sighed. "Yes, I know it has taken far too long. Immortals... we resist change. We hadn't seen the true consequences of our actions until the actions that led to your banishment."

Poseidon commanded the attention back to himself. "So, my child... Will you help us?" Percy laughed to himself for a moment.

"I told you guys the truth earlier - I will fight against Tartarus no matter what. Whether that is on your side, or on your children's side depends on how much you have changed over the past two decades. I still hold some anger towards some of you. That includes you, Uncle-" He nodded towards the Lord of the Skies. "-because, even if you were spelled to banish me, you have acted terribly other times as well." Zeus raised an eyebrow.

"Such as?"

"Oh, let's see..." He held up a hand, and started ticking fingers off. "Accusing me of stealing your bolt when a simple swear on the River Styx would've proved my innocence, wanting to kill me just because I was strong, failing to keep your promise at the end of the war and release the peaceful titans and titanesses, a quarter of which you've had kids with, and another quarter of which are your children. Which, by the way, ruins the lives of your children unconditionally as it violates the oath you swore to Hera, letting us-" Zeus cut him off with an embarrassed cough.

"I think I understand what you're saying." Percy could see his eyebrow twitching, but was intensely surprised he hadn't had multiple Master Bolts thrown at him by now, which was a testament to how far the King of the Gods had come in the past twenty years. Perhaps he had truly improved, after all. Hades did his best not snicker, but Percy fixed him with a glare, too.

"You've had your fair share of mistakes as well, Uncle." Hades stopped snickering, and did his best to look abashed. The lesser immortal was not incorrect, after all. "And..." Percy turned around to face his father, staring at him with hints of sorrow and, surprisingly, anger in his eyes. "You've done some less than desirable things as well, father. I had to face some of them down there." Perseus turned on his heel to leave three of the most powerful beings in the world shocked into silence.

* * *

_Percy faced off against the gargantuan cat. It seemed even more powerful and bigger than it had been in the Air and Space Museum four years ago. Maybe being in Tartarus made it stronger? While it had been the size of a pick-up truck previously, it was at least the size of a large SUV now. Like, those six door kinds where you get to kick your friends in the face while climbing to the back large._

_He held Riptide out in front of him. The blade glinted in the dim light. The Lion made the first move, dashing at the newly-made immortal. Percy jumped to the side, but the monster was smarter than the Minotaur, and leapt at him again. Percy knew it was useless, but swung his sword at the cat. However, his sword came back with minuscule hints of blood._

_Percy's eyes widened. His super strength! He was strong enough to piece the hide now! He unleashed a flurry of blows, confusing the crowd of monsters around him, who had been cheering up until now. His strength was... fear-inspiring, to say the least. His speed and determination were only compounded by the damage he was doing to the Nemean Lion._

_What he was doing wasn't supposed to be hurting it. So why was the powerful monster yelping in pain whenever it was hit? The monsters with more powerful eyesight caught sight of the droplets of blood flying before anyone else. Whispering broke out among the crowd. How strong was the famed Perseus Jackson, the Bane of Monsters, that he could pierce the Nemean Lion's pelt?_

_Back in the arena, the son of Poseidon let loose a fearsome blow, stunning the Lion. He tried to remember how Hercules had originally killed it. Had he had help? Percy didn't have any back-up, that was for sure. While the beast was still stunned, Percy immobilized it with his hydrokinesis, then grabbed it in a headlock, closing off its throat. It's neck was wide, though, and Percy had to stretch out all the way to wrap around it. Then... he squeezed._

_While the beast didn't need air to breathe, that wasn't what Percy was going for. No, he kept squeezing until he heard a crack. And then another one. After a few more, the beast instantly went limp, its neck crushed. Percy, now covered in black blood, panted as he looked up at the rest of the monsters gathered around them. He knew, with a sinking heart, that killing a kitty wasn't the worst thing he would have to do down here. He dared the Fates anyway. "Well... who's next?"_


End file.
